Package for vertical receiving

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a package for vertical receiving, which, when receiving various kinds of objects to be received, such as clothes, in a drawer, etc., packages and receives the objects to be received such that the objects to be received are stood using the same standard, thereby maximizing the receiving efficiency, easily identifying an object to be received even when searching for the object to be received in order to use the object to be received, and not dispersing the objects to be received, which are received uniformly. The package for vertical receiving comprises: a rear part ( 110 ), and front parts ( 120, 130 ) which stand an object to be received, such as clothes, by surrounding the object to be received with a predetermined width and a predetermined thickness; hinge parts ( 140, 150 ) formed between the rear part ( 110 ) and the front parts ( 120, 130 ) to fold and unfold the front parts ( 120, 130 ); hardened reinforcement sheets ( 160 ) formed on the rear part ( 110 ) and the front parts ( 120, 130 ) so that the package ( 100 ) maintains a self-standing state; and fixing holes ( 170 ) formed on the rear part ( 110 ) or the front parts ( 120 ) and configured to surround and fix the object to be received.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a package for vertical storage, whichallows various types of objects, such as clothes or foods to be storedin a refrigerator, to be stored while put in an upright position insubstantially the same standard and in a volume compressed at apredetermined level, leading to maximized storage efficiency and easydiscovery of the object, as well as allowing the objects to remainorganized even when one is pulled out.

BACKGROUND ART

A popular way for organizing clothes is so-called “horizontalorganizing” by which clothes are folded and laid one over another in ahorizontal position in a drawer or on the shelf of a wardrobe. However,such horizontal organizing is not a convenient approach from aperspective of finding a desired one of the stored clothes and may spoilthe organized arrangement of clothes after pulling out one positioneddeep inside the clothes pile.

As contrasted to horizontal organizing, vertical organizing provides thebenefit of easy discovery but requires installation of stationary ormovable partitions in the drawer or use of a separate container in orderto keep the clothes of different sizes or shapes in a stabilizedposition. Thus, such conventional vertical organizing is not onlyuneconomical but reduces the storage room as well.

To address the above issues, Korean Patent Application Publication No.10-2012-0130878 discloses a “vertical organizing tool for drawer,” andKorean Utility Model Application Publication No. 20-2011-0004690discloses a “package for storing clothes.”

The conventional vertical organizing tool requires a space forinstalling the same and deteriorates the appearance inside the drawer.Further, the conventional package for storing clothes fails to alloweach piece of clothes to individually fold and stand in a predeterminedsize or shape and cannot thus provide vertical storage in the drawer.

PRIOR TECHNICAL DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

(Patent Document 1) Korean Patent Application Publication No.10-2012-0130878 (published on Dec. 4, 2012), titled “vertical organizerfor dresser”

(Patent Document 2) Korean Utility Model Application Publication No.20-2011-0004690 (published on Jun. 12, 2011), titled “package forstoring clothes”

SUMMARY Problems to be Solved

The present invention has been conceived to address the above problems,and an object of the present invention is to provide a means forvertical storage of various objects including clothes or food preservedin a refrigerator, which may allow objects of various sizes or shapes tobe packed and stored in a substantially constant standard so that theobject may stably remain in an upright position, may protect the objectagainst contaminations, and may prevent spoilage of the organizedarrangement even when some of the objects stored are pulled out.

Solutions

To achieve the above object, according to an embodiment of the presentinvention, there is provided a package for vertical storage, comprisinga rear portion and front portions formed of a soft resin, such as vinyl,or an elastic material, such as unwoven fabric or net, to cover variousobjects, such as clothes or foods preserved in a refrigerator, at apredetermined width and thickness and standing the objects, hingeportions that may be folded or unfolded and that are provided betweenthe rear portion and the front portions, a hard reinforcing sheetprovided at, at least, one of the rear portion and the front portions tomaintain the upright position, and a fastener fastening the object inthe rear portion or the front portions while the object is wrapped.

Preferably, the front portions, rear portion, and hinge portions of thepackage are formed of a transparent or see-through material, such as anet, or in the form of having a window or hole so that the packed objectmay be easily identified from outside.

In a preferred embodiment, the rear portion, the front portions, and thehinge portions may be integrally formed with one another. A reinforcingsheet may be attached to at least one or both of the rear portion or thefront portions through thermal or high-frequency bonding or an adhesivein order to keep in shape, or the rear portion and the front portionsmay be formed in a dual structure where the reinforcing sheet may beinserted.

Preferably, the reinforcing sheet may be formed of a resin film or stiffpaper with a predetermined thickness, and when made thin to savematerials, reinforcing ribs may be formed to keep in shape furtherstably.

More preferably, an anti-slip structure may be further provided insidethe package to prevent, e.g., clothes, from being easily pulled out. Theanti-slip structure may be formed of rubber, sponge, or a silicone padwith high surface friction.

According to the present invention, the rear portion and the frontportions may be formed of the same material, and the hinge portions maybe formed of a different material with high elasticity so as to becompatible with various objects with different sizes and volumes.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided a package for vertical storage, comprising a rear portion andfront portions covering an object, such as a piece of clothes, at apredetermined width and thickness and standing the object and foldablehinge portions provided between the rear portion and the front portions,wherein the rear portion and the front portions are formed of a hardplastic sheet to keep the package in an upright position, and wherein afastener is provided in the rear portion or the front portion to fastenthe object in a wrapped state.

According to still another embodiment of the present invention, there isprovided package for vertical storage, comprising front portions formedof a soft vinyl sheet and attached to left and right sides,respectively, of a rear portion formed of a hard plastic sheet to coveran object, such as a piece of clothes or food preserved in arefrigerator, at a predetermined width and thickness and standing theobject, wherein a separate reinforcing sheet is provided to be insertedinto an inside of the front portions to pressurize the object when theobject is received, and wherein a fastener provided in the rear portionor the front portion to fasten the object in a wrapped state.

Effects

Use of the package for vertical storage according to embodiments of thepresent invention may allow clothes, foods, or other objects to bepacked at a substantially even width and stored in an upright position.Thus, the object may stably remain in an upright position and may beprevented from spoilage of the organized arrangement. Further, variousobjects may be stored neatly in substantially the same standard. Thus, adesired object may be quickly discovered, and even when pulled out, theremaining objects may remain organized, eliminating the need ofreorganizing. Further, the object is packed, shrunken at a predeterminedlevel, allowing more space for storage to be secured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention:

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the package of FIG. 1 isfolded;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example in which a piece of clothes is packed inthe package of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which packages are vertically stored ina drawer;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which packages are vertically stored ina refrigerator;

FIG. 6 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a package for vertical storageaccording to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which clothes are vertically stored ona shelf in a wardrobe using packages according to the present invention;

FIG. 11 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to a seventh embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view illustrating the package for verticalstorage as shown in FIG. 11 is folded;

FIG. 13 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to an eighth embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating the package for verticalstorage as shown in FIG. 13 is folded;

FIG. 15 is an expanded perspective view illustrating a package forvertical storage according to a ninth embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view illustrating the package for verticalstorage as shown in FIG. 15 is folded; and

FIG. 17 is a perspective view illustrating a reinforcing sheet in alattice frame shape.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments are described in detail withreference to the accompanying drawings, without limiting the presentinvention.

FIGS. 1 to 4 illustrate a package for vertical storage according to afirst embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the drawings, the package 100 according to this embodimentincludes a rear portion 110 and front portions 120 and 130 formed of asoft resin material, such as transparent vinyl, and standing ato-be-packed object, such as clothes, various meats, or chopped garlicor other seasonings or spices which are stored in a refrigerator, whilecovering the object at a predetermined width and thickness, foldablehinge portions 140 and 150 between the rear portion 110 and the frontportions 120 and 130, hard reinforcing sheets 160 provided in the rearportion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 to allow the package 100to maintain an upright position, and a detachable fastener 170 providedon an inner side of the front portion 120.

In this embodiment, the rear portion 110, front portions 120 and 130,and hinge portions 140 and 150 of the package 100 may be formed of asoft transparent vinyl material so that the wrapped object may be easilyidentified with the naked eye from outside.

In the instant embodiment, the rear portion 110, the front portions 120and 130, and the hinge portions 140 and 150 are formed in a single body.The reinforcing sheets 160 are inserted in the rear portion 110 and thefront portions 120 and 130 to keep in shape. In this embodiment, therear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 are formed in a dualstructure, and the edges of the rear portion 110 and the front portions120 and 130 remain joined by thermal or high frequency bonding.

In this embodiment, an inner surface of the rear portion 110 and thefront portions 120 and 130 has an opened side through which thereinforcing sheet 160 may be inserted or pulled out. The reinforcingsheet 160 is formed of a resin film including an anti-static vinyl of apredetermined thickness. In the case the reinforcing sheet 160 is madethin to save materials, reinforcing ribs are formed in the reinforcingsheet 160 itself in horizontal and vertical directions, allowing it toremain in a stable shape.

According to the present invention, the sum of the horizontal width ofthe left front portion 130 and the horizontal width of the right frontportion 120 is formed to be not smaller than the horizontal width of therear portion 110, and the horizontal width of the left front portion isformed to be not larger or identical to the difference between thehorizontal width of the rear portion and the horizontal width(thickness) of the hinge portion. In this embodiment, the horizontalwidth of the left front portion 130 is about ⅔ of the horizontal widthof the rear portion 110, and the horizontal width of the right frontportion 120 is about ½ of the horizontal width of the rear portion 110.The thickness of the hinge portion 150 formed between the rear portion110 and the right front portion 120 is about ⅓ of the horizontal widthof the rear portion 110.

Meanwhile, the horizontal width (thickness) of the hinge portion 140 atthe side of the right front portion 120 is the same as the horizontalwidth (thickness) of the left hinge portion 150.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a folding processof a vinyl or hard film or various types and materials for flexiblefolding and unfolding may apply to the hinge portions 140 and 150.

In this embodiment, the right front portion 120 and the left frontportion 130 have different horizontal widths from each other so that,when the object is wrapped, the relatively wide left front portion 130is positioned inside, the right front portion 120 is laid over the leftfront portion 130, and the fastener 170 is then attached to the surfaceof the left front portion 130 while pulled by a proper strength oftension. Thereby, even a thin object is firmly held inside the package100 and is prevented from sliding down.

Further, in this embodiment, the degree by which the left and rightfront portions 120 and 130 varies depending on the thickness of theobject. As the thickness of the object increases, the overlap betweenthe left and right front portions 120 and 130 decreases.

The reinforcing sheet 160 may be formed of a resin film or stiff paper.Characters or an image for advertisement or promotion purposes may beprinted or a blank where the user takes notes or for attaching aseparate piece of paper may be formed on an inside or outside of thereinforcing sheet 160.

In this embodiment, the width of the reinforcing sheet 160 is preferablyformed to be substantially the same as the vertical width of the rearportion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130. Since the reinforcingsheet 160 may simply function as a frame to keep the package 100 in anupright position, the reinforcing sheet 160 may be simply shaped as arectangle. The inside of the reinforcing sheet 160 may be punctuated ina grid or other various patterns to reduce its weight and save materialswithout reducing the structural strength or hardness.

In this embodiment, an adhesive tape that may be repeatedly attached ordetached is used as the fastener 170. Such adhesive tape-type fastener170 maintains substantially the same adhesivity even when attached atdifferent positions by the volume of the object whenever used. Eventhough no separate fastener is provided at a portion where the fastener170 is to be attached, the fastener 170 may be attached, as it is, tothe slippery vinyl surface.

In this embodiment, the package 100 further includes anti-slipstructures 180 therein to prevent, e.g., clothes, from being easilyescaped off as shown in the drawings. The anti-slip structures 180 maybe formed of rubber, sponge, or silicone pad with high surface friction.The anti-slip structures 180 may be attached at a middle, upper or lowerposition consecutively along the horizontal or vertical direction aswell as at the corners as shown in the drawings.

A method of using the package configured as above according to thisembodiment is described. First, a to-be-stored object P, such as a setof clothes including a top and bottom or a piece of bedclothes, isfolded, with the package 100 unfolded on the floor, and is then placedon the unfolded package 100, and is covered by the front portions 120and 130 that are then fastened by the fastener 170 while pressurized.Thus, the volume of the object may be easily compressed. Although thecompression rate is not high as compared with that achieved by use of acompression pack that uses a vacuum cleaner to compress an object, themethod may reduce wrinkles or damage to the object, e.g., clothes, andmay allow the object to be easily pulled out. In this embodiment, thepacking may be done, with the package standing up as shown in FIG. 3while the object is compressed. As shown in FIG. 4, the package with theobject therein may be stored in a drawer D while vertically in theupright position. As such, if the object P, such as clothes, is packedin the package 100 and is vertically stored, more clothes may be storedin the same size of space as compared with conventional horizontalstorage.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example in which an object P, which is food to bekept frozen or refrigerated, such as meats or various seasonings orspices, is contained in a package 100 and stored in a refrigerator Faccording to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG.5, the package 100 is stored, lying on a side thereof rather thanstanding in the upright position as shown in FIG. 4.

As such, the term “vertical storing” or “vertical receiving” as usedherein does not only mean that the package 100 is stored in the uprightposition but also means that the package 100 is vertically stored, lyingon a side thereof, i.e., with one of the hinge portions 140 and 150placed on the floor, as shown in FIG. 5.

Further, the objects are neatly sorted in horizontal and verticaldirections in the drawer or refrigerator, allowing them to look wellorganized when the drawer or refrigerator is opened and allowing theuser to find his desired piece of clothes or frozen (refrigerated) food.Further, even after the piece of clothes or food is pulled out, theremaining clothes or food remain organized, eliminating the need ofreorganizing.

Meanwhile, the package according to this embodiment has an open top andbottom. Thus, the user may pull the object out of the package with onehand while holding and pressing the package with the other hand to makethe rear portion 110 and front portions 120 and 130 rounded. Thus, theobject may be quickly pulled out from the package even without detachingthe fastener 170.

FIG. 6 illustrates a package for vertical storage according to a secondembodiment of the present invention. The package 100 in this embodimentdiffers from the package according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1and 2 in that the former is single-layered while the latter isdouble-layered. In this embodiment, a reinforcing sheet 160 is attachedinside the rear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 by anadhesive tape or adhesive or thermal or high frequency bonding or othermethods.

In this embodiment, the package 100 differs from the package accordingto the first embodiment in that the package 100 is single-layered buthas the same function as the package according to the first embodiment.Thus, no repetitive description is given.

In this embodiment, the reinforcing sheet 160 is fixed in the inside ofthe rear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130, but the presentinvention is not limited thereto. For example, the reinforcing sheet maybe attached to be detachable from the rear portion or front portion.

FIG. 7 illustrates a package 100 for vertical storage according to athird embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the rearportion 110 and front portions 120 and 130 of the package 100 are formedof the same material, such as transparent vinyl, and the hinge portions140 and 150 are formed of a material such as a highly stretchable rubbersheet or Spandex fabric, and neighboring portions may be sewn or fusedto be compatible with various objects with different sizes or volumes.

In this embodiment, the content (or object) to be packed in the package100), although its volume varies, remains same because its left-rightwidth corresponds to the horizontal width of the rear portion 110.However, only the thickness of the package packing the object is variedas the hinge portions 140 and 150 are expanded or contracted by thevolume of the content, and thus, such packages may be neatly stored andorganized.

FIG. 8 illustrates a package for vertical storage according to a fourthembodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, as the fastener170, a pair of male and female Velcro tapes are used instead of theadhesive tape used in the above embodiment. One of the pair of Velcrotapes is attached onto the front portion 130 at a side, and the other isattached onto the front portion 120 at the other side, allowing thetapes to be mutually attached or detached.

In this embodiment, although the fastener 170 is shaped as a thin strap,the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the positionof attachment or number of fasteners 170 may be varied. Another exampleof such fastener 170 may be an elastic band, such as a known rubberring, male and female couplers formed to be able to adjust the volume ofthe content, as used in, e.g., various piles or stationery or othercontainers or a PVC soft vinyl adhesive sheet that may be repeatedlyattached and detached.

FIG. 9 illustrates a package for vertical storage according to a sixthembodiment of the present invention. According to the instantembodiment, the package 100 differs from the packages according to theabove embodiments in that the package in this embodiment uses a fabricnet while the packages according to the above embodiments use atransparent vinyl material. The fabric net that is stretchable at acertain degree is used to form the rear portion 110, front portions 120and 130, and hinge portions 140 and 150 in a two-layered structure. Theedges of the rear portion 110, front portions 120 and 130, and hingeportions 140 and 150 are sewn, and a reinforcing sheet is inserted inthe inside of the rear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 tokeep in shape. The rest is the same as those described above in relationto the above embodiments.

In this embodiment, the package includes the fabric net, so that theinside may be seen through meshes in the net. The hinge portions 140 and150 may be expanded or contracted by the elasticity of the fabric netitself, allowing various objects with different volumes to be packed inthe package. In particular, since the fabric net itself is highbreathable, clothes packed in the package may be prevented from molds ordamage due to moisture.

Further, although not shown in the drawings, a dehumidifying agent(e.g., silica gel) may be stored in the package 100 or an unwoven clothfor dehumidification may be attached in the package 100.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which relatively bulky objects P, suchas winter jumpers, parkas, or overcoats, are packed relatively flatly inpackages 100 made in a large size and vertically stored on a shelf in awardrobe. As such, vertical storage of the enlarged packages in thewardrobe may lead to maximized use of space in the wardrobe, organizedstorage and easy discovery of clothes, as well as minimized damage toclothes as contrasted to the conventional way of using compressionpacks.

Although in the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 the package 100 allows,e.g., an overcoat to be packed therein, compressed flat, and isvertically stored, the present invention is not limited thereto. Forexample, a hanger shaped as a ring may be integrally formed with thepackage 100, so that the package 100 may be hung to the hanging bar inthe wardrobe.

Although methods for storing an object with the object folded have beendescribed above in connection with the above embodiments, the packageaccording to the present invention may be manufactured in variousstandards, e.g., so that a dress shirt may be packed in the packagewhile unfolded and stretched, and the package is stored in a traveler'sback. In this case, long, rounded bar-shaped sponges may be put inportions where the arms of the dress shirt are folded inward to preventwrinkles.

FIGS. 11 and 12 illustrate a package for vertical storing according to aseven embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the package 100 includes a rear portion 110 andfront portions 120 and 130 standing a to-be-packed object, such asclothes or frozen (refrigerated) food, while covering the object at apredetermined width and thickness, and foldable hinge portions 140 and150 between the rear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130. Therear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 are formed of hardsheets to keep the package 100 in an upright position. Detachablefasteners 170 are provided in the front portion 120. The rear portion110 and the front portions 120 and 130 are formed of hard plasticsheets, rather than further including separate reinforcing sheets tokeep in shape. The hinge portions 140 and 150 connecting between therear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 are formed of softvinyl films and are integrally bonded to the sides of the rear portionand front portions through thermal, ultrasonic, or high-frequencybonding.

The reference numeral 116 denotes a bonded portion.

In this embodiment, the fasteners 170 including male and female Velcrotapes are provided in the left and right front portions 120 and 130 toadjust thickness when the object is covered with the package as shown inFIG. 11. The left front portion 120 has such fasteners 170 attached ontoan outside thereof, and the right front portion 130 has fasteners 170attached onto an inside thereof.

Further, in this embodiment, the rear portion 110 has jaws 112 and 114respectively formed at upper and lower portions thereof on the innersurface of the rear portion 110 to prevent the object packed in thepackage from sagging or sliding down. The jaws 112 and 114 may bepreferably formed as protruding beads that are elongate in left andright directions as shown in the drawings, but not limited thereto. Morepreferably, e.g., anti-slip silicone coating may be added to the surfaceof the jaws 112 and 114 to effectively prevent a piece of clothes orvinyl-wrapped food packed in the package from slipping (sliding down),thus preventing the package from bulging out.

In this embodiment, the jaws 112 and 114 may be integrally formed withthe rear portion 110 and front portions 120 and 130 that are formed ofhard synthetic resin sheets and may be formed of the same material asthe rear and front portions 110, 120, and 130. The jaws 112 and 114 maybe formed of a different material (e.g., a soft silicone resin), whichis not a hard synthetic resin, by, e.g., double-shot injection.

In this embodiment, the rear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and130 are preferably formed of transparent synthetic resin sheets, anddetachable marks may be attached to the front portions 120 and 130 orhinge portions 140 and 150 to help the object to be identified andpulled out while the package is stored vertically.

The package according to the instant embodiment may also be used in thesame manner as described in relation to the above embodiments, and norepetitive description of a specific method of using the same is given.

Meanwhile, according to the present invention, the inner surface of therear portion 110 may be formed of a frictional material for preventingslips or may be formed in an anti-slip pattern, rather than forming thejaws 112 and 114 in the above embodiment.

Further, according to the present invention, instead of forming the jaws112 and 114 according to the above embodiment or forming a frictionalmaterial or anti-slip pattern or form, a soft or hard skirt having afoldable hinge portion may be attached to at least one of an upper andlower end of the rear portion 110 to prevent the content (or object)from slipping down (sliding down). The content is placed on the insideof the rear portion 110, the skirt extending through the hinge portionis folded up, and the left and right front portions 120 and 130 arefolded to cover the content. By doing so, the content is prevented fromslipping down. The top-bottom length of the skirt is about ⅓ of thehorizontal length of the rear portion.

FIGS. 13 and 14 illustrate a package for vertical storage according toan eight embodiment of the present invention. The package includes arear portion 110 and front portions 120 and 130 to cover a to-be-packedobject, such as clothes or refrigerated food, at a predetermined widthand thickness and stand the object and foldable hinge portions 140 and150 between the rear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130. Therear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 are formed of hardsheets to keep the package 100 in an upright position. Detachablefasteners 170 are provided in the front portion 120. Instead of separatereinforcing sheets to keep in shape, the rear portion 110 and the frontportions 120 and 130 are formed of hard plastic sheets, and the hingeportions 140 and 150 connecting between the rear portion 110 and thefront portions 120 and 130 are formed of hard plastic sheets. The hingeportions 140 and 150 have a plurality of folding grooves 142 and 152vertically formed in parallel with each other to be flexibly folded.

Also in the instant embodiment, the left and right front portions 120and 130 have fasteners 170 including male and female Velcro tapes toadjust thickness when the object is covered for storage as shown in FIG.13. The fasteners 170 are attached onto the outside of the left frontportion 120 and onto the inside of the right front portion 130.

Also in this embodiment, jaws 112 and 114 are formed at upper and lowersides on the inner surface of the rear portion 110 to prevent the objectfrom slipping or sagging down when the package is placed in an uprightposition for vertical storage. The jaws 112 and 114 are the same asthose described above in connection with the seventh embodiment, andthus, no repetitive description thereof is given.

FIGS. 15 and 16 illustrate a package for vertical storage according to aninth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the rearportion 110 is formed of a hard plastic sheet. Front portions 120 and130 formed of soft vinyl sheets are attached to left and right sides,respectively, of the rear portion 110. A separate reinforcing sheet 160is added to be put in the inside of the front portions 120 and 130 toprevent a front portion of the package from bulging out.

In this embodiment, no separate hinge portions are provided between therear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130, and the frontportions 120 and 130 are formed of flexible vinyl sheets to allow thefront portions 120 and 130 to be folded fitting the thickness of theobject to be packed in the package.

In this embodiment, the reinforcing sheet 160 is separated. Upon packinga sheet of clothes, the separated reinforcing sheet 160 is used toeasily fold the sheet of clothes in a predetermined size and shape, likein such a way of folding clothes using a file folder as may frequentlybe seen from an organizing guru's web blog. Further, unlike in theconventional method, the package may be easily erected at any angle(even with the hinge portion placed on the floor). This addresses theshortcomings of the above-described embodiments in which the package iseasily put in the upright position only through the opened top or bottomthereof but is not with the hinge portion placed on the floor.

Further, in storing food through the package in a refrigerating orfreezing compartment, the front reinforcing sheet may compress, flatten,and stand the food as its existing function. Further, the front portionreinforcing sheet 160 may separately be pulled out after the food isfrozen in a desired form. Thus, the resultant volume may be reduced,leaving a slightly increased room for storage in the freezingcompartment (or refrigerating compartment). As shown in FIG. 17,receiving holes 162 of various shapes or sizes, e.g., in the shape of anice cube tray, may be formed in an inside of the reinforcing sheet 160,which contacts the food, allowing the food to be formed and frozen in adesired shape depending on the type of food and allowing only a desiredamount of garlic or meat to be easily taken out.

In this embodiment, the jaws 112 and 114 of the rear portion 110 and thefasteners 170 of the front portions 120 and 130 are the same as thosedescribed above in connection with the above embodiments, and norepetitive description thereof is given.

Although the above embodiments primarily focus on examples in which thepackage according to the present invention is used to store, e.g.,clothes, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, thepackage may also be used for the purpose of storing a piece of bedding,e.g., blanket, or meat, seasoning, or other various types of food in arefrigerator or container for storage. Further, the material of eachcomponent is not limited to those mentioned in connection with theabove-described embodiments.

REFERENCE DENOTATIONS

-   -   100: package    -   110: rear portion    -   112,114: jaw    -   116: bonded portion    -   120,130: front portion    -   140,150: hinge portion    -   160: reinforcing sheet    -   162: receiving hole    -   170: fastener    -   180: anti-slip structure    -   D: drawer    -   F: refrigerator    -   P: object (e.g., a piece of clothes or food)

1.-10. (canceled)
 11. A package for vertical storage of food,comprising: a rear portion 110 and front portions 120 and 130 coveringan object at a predetermined width and thickness and standing theobject; and foldable hinge portions 140 and 150 provided between therear portion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130, wherein the rearportion 110 and the front portions 120 and 130 are formed of a hardplastic sheet to keep the package 100 in an upright position, andwherein a fastener 170 is provided in the rear portion 110 or the frontportion 120 to fasten the object in a wrapped state.
 12. (canceled) 13.The package of claim 11, wherein the hinge portions 140 and 150 areformed of a hard plastic material, and wherein the hinge portions 140and 150 have a plurality of folding grooves 142 and 152 verticallyformed in parallel with one another to be flexibly folded.
 14. Thepackage of claim 11, wherein jaws 112 and 114 are formed at upper andlower sides on an inner surface of the rear portion 110 to prevent thepacked object from slipping off or sagging down when the object is putin an upright position for vertical storage.
 15. The package of claim11, wherein a skirt having a hinge portion is attached to at least oneof upper and lower ends of the rear portion 110 and wherein the skirt isfolded inward with the object P placed on the rear portion 110 toprevent the object from escaping out.
 16. (canceled)
 17. The package ofclaim 11, wherein the package 100 includes a ring-shaped hanger to allowthe package 100 to be hung and stored.
 18. The package of claim 11,wherein the hinge portions 140 and 150 are formed of a soft material.19. The package of claim 11, wherein an anti-slip structure 180 isprovided in an inner surface of the rear portion 110 to prevent theobject from escaping or sagging down.
 20. The package of claim 13,wherein the hinge portions 140 and 150 are formed of a soft material.21. The package of claim 13, wherein an anti-slip structure 180 isprovided in an inner surface of the rear portion 110 to prevent theobject from escaping or sagging down.
 22. The package of claim 13,wherein jaws 112 and 114 are formed at upper and lower sides on an innersurface of the rear portion 110 to prevent the packed object fromslipping off or sagging down when the object is put in an uprightposition for vertical storage.
 23. The package of claim 13, wherein askirt having a hinge portion is attached to at least one of upper andlower ends of the rear portion 110 and wherein the skirt is foldedinward with the object P placed on the rear portion 110 to prevent theobject from escaping out.